Love Over A Rice Ball
by NeverLookBackSamurai
Summary: A young mechanic. A village girl with a secret. They never thought a simple rice ball would change their lives forever. HeihachixOC [Redone]
1. The WoodCutting Samurai

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki. _

_**This chapter is dedicated to my friend Jessica. The reader who loves a good story.  
**_

_Memo: This is my first fanfic so please don't kill me if I get a lot of things wrong. I haven't seen the whole series yet and I'm just drawing mainly from my imagination and whatever I have seen of the episodes. I am planning to write a whole story based on the Nobuseri waging a new war on Kanna. I am also going to do something supernatural in the story but that comes later. I'm going to set the time after the end of Samurai 7 and this time, Kirara is still the water priestess and all the samurai are alive. (Yay!) XP sorry if you don't want that but thanx for reading anyway X3 3_

_Forward: Miyuki Ogawa is an 18-year-old girl who lives in Kanna village by herself. The 7 samurai are already there and when she finally saw them all together, she saw one young samurai that she couldn't stop thinking about. Miyuki has long, straight, dark brown hair that stops at the middle of her back, and she wears the same clothes as all the Kanna village girls. On with the story!_

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_It was around noon and Miyuki was on the cliff overlooking Kanna village chopping wood for Kirara and herself when she finally couldn't take it anymore. She wearily sat down on a rock and took out a rice ball she had made for lunch. Miyuki sighed as she ate and thought about the samurai._

"_He'd never look twice in my direction," she thought sadly, " I'm just a mere farm girl. And I'm not pretty like Mikumaru-sama Kirara… He'll probably fall in love with her…"_

_Everyday Miyuki remembered how the samurai had glanced at her when she first saw him the week before. Something about the way he smiled at her made her heart pound and his face haunted her dreams every night. Suddenly a voice penetrated her thoughts._

"_Hey, what's a pretty farm girl like you chopping wood out here all by yourself?" said the voice._

_Miyuki looked up, startled and shy, and saw the samurai she liked. He wore all brown except for a black vest and a pilot cap with goggles on his head. His whole being seemed to radiate happiness and Miyuki couldn't help but flash a small smile. Brushing her hands off, she stood and bowed to him._

"_Hello Great Samurai. Please forgive me but I do not know your name. What brings you up here?" Miyuki asked._

_He returned the bow and rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed._

"_I saw you from Lady Kirara's house. And please don't call me 'great samurai'. My name is Hayashida, Heihachi. What's your name?" He replied._

"_My name is Ogawa, Miyuki. And the reason I'm by myself is because I live alone. My father was killed when he tried to rebel against the Nobuseri and my mother…" She couldn't go on._

_She clenched her teeth and looked at the floor, desperately trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. _

"…_It's ok. You don't have to tell me…" Heihachi said understandingly._

_He walked toward Miyuki and drew his katana. She froze, thinking he was going to hurt her, but he walked right past her. Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief and she was also surprised as a loud splitting noise tore through the air next to her. She tentatively looked to her right and saw that Heihachi had split a piece of wood perfectly in half with his katana. _

"_He could have cut me in half with his katana if he wanted to," She thought frantically, "Why is he using it to cut my wood?"_

_Suddenly, Miyuki burst out, saying, "Oh, no! Please Great Samurai! You don't need to do this for-"_

_Heihachi cut her off, replying gently, "I thought I told you not to call me that. Just call me Heihachi. And it's ok. I want to do this for you. A pretty girl like you shouldn't do this alone."_

_The kind young man smiled at Miyuki and her face turned pink. _

"_If you insist… I guess I can't stop you…" She managed to say quietly._

"_Just sit down and take a break Miyuki. I'll do the rest." Said Heihachi._

_Miyuki followed his orders and sat down. He started to cut the wood while telling her about all the things he knew about rice._

"_Did you know that rice is said to be protected by 7 kami? It's a gift from heaven. And Kanna's rice is one of the best I've ever had." He said, apparently very happy. Miyuki thought it over a bit before replying. _

"_If the rice is protected by 7 kami, then maybe you and the others are the kami sent to protect it." She said pointedly. Heihachi paused, mid-swing, and thought it over._

"_Hmm… You know, I never thought about it that way. You're right. Maybe we are the kami who protect the rice." _

_By now Heihachi had almost finished cutting the wood and it was late afternoon. Miyuki stood up as she thought of a way to thank Heihachi for cutting her wood for her. _

"_I should be getting the wood to Kirara now. Thank you for all your help Heihachi." She said, bowing very low to him again. Heihachi looked embarrassed again but he shrugged._

"_No problem. You want me to help you carry it?" he asked. Miyuki shook her head._

"_Oh, no. You've done so much already… I couldn't ask you to do more. And here's something for cutting the wood." Miyuki said, reaching into her lunch and pulling out a rice ball. She held it out to him and he smiled wider._

"_Hey, thanks. I love rice, as you can probably tell." He said reaching out to take the rice ball. As he took the rice ball, his fingers met Miyuki's and she felt something shoot through the length of her body at his touch. She looked up at him, startled._

_Miyuki could see his face had a surprised expression and she wondered what he was thinking. In that split second, her mind raced. _

"_Heihachi… he's so handsome… I know it's rude to stare, but I can't stop… why am I feeling this way?" she thought. Suddenly, there was a coughing sound behind Miyuki. She and Heihachi whirled around to see the youngest samurai named Katsushiro standing there, looking very embarrassed._

"_Um… Heihachi-dono… Sensei wants to see us all about plans for fighting the Nobuseri. It won't take that long, so you can come back here…" he trailed off. _

_Heihachi tried to calm himself after nearly being shocked to death by Katsushiro, and replied, "Ok Katsushiro. I'll be right there."_

_Katsushiro nodded, looking glad to go away. Heihachi turned back to Miyuki. _

_He sighed and said, "Looks like I won't be able to help you with the wood. But maybe we can talk again later tonight?"_

_Miyuki nodded. "I'll be ok. My house is down there." She pointed to a small house at the bottom of the cliff and Heihachi smiled at her again and gently took her hand. Miyuki blushed even more this time._

"_As soon as I'm done with Kambei-dono I'll go right to your house and then we can talk. Ok? Wait for me Miyuki." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, before he turned and walked away, eating the rice ball as he went. Miyuki put the hand Heihachi had held over her heart and smiled to herself._

"_Heihachi… of course I'll wait…" she thought, "Ai! What am I thinking!" She wanted to pull her hair as she watched Heihachi's retreating shadow disappear down the cliff. But eventually she just sighed and started to walk to Kirara's house with the wood on her back._


	2. First Kiss

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any character names affiliated with it. The only character I own is Miyuki._

_**Dedicated**** to my friend Katie. May you find happiness even though I have moved on. **_

_Miyuki was sitting in front of the fire in her house waiting for Heihachi to show up. _

"_He said it wouldn't take long. It's been almost 3 hours now… maybe I should lie down for a bit, until he comes back." She thought as she lay down on her bed and faced the door. Miyuki kept hoping that if she closed her eyes, Heihachi would be there when she opened them. But she was so tired from chopping wood that she soon fell asleep. Little did Miyuki know that just as she fell asleep, Heihachi was almost to her house. He tapped on the screen that hung in the doorway, and when there was no answer, he poked his head inside and looked around. The fire was still going and there was nothing inside except for a compartment to hold bowls and chopsticks, and a scroll above Miyuki's sleeping form that said one thing: Honor. _

"_Oh… she's sleeping… maybe I shouldn't have come…" he thought. But then he heard something and looked around, wondering where it came from._

"_Mom… Dad… run… the Nobuseri… help…" Miyuki mumbled in her sleep._

"_She's dreaming… about her parents? What do the Nobuseri have to do with her parents?" Heihachi wondered._

_Suddenly, Miyuki cried out, "NO!" and she opened her eyes. Heihachi ran inside and hovered over her with a worried look on his face. _

"_Heihachi?" Miyuki whispered weakly. _

"_Are you ok Miyuki?" he asked. Heihachi sat down next to her, gently lifted Miyuki in his arms, and held her close to him. Miyuki noticed that she was sweating and crying. She also realized that Heihachi was holding her close, but she was too scared to care. She buried her face in Heihachi's chest and cried harder. _

"_I saw… my parents… my mom… the Nobuseri… they kidnapped her… and my dad… they… they killed him…!" Miyuki sobbed. She wrapped her arms around Heihachi's neck and cried into his shoulder. Heihachi didn't know what to do, so he held Miyuki closer and whispered comforting words to her. Eventually, Miyuki stopped crying and slowly felt her fears drain away as Heihachi held her. She also found her voice calm enough to speak._

"_Heihachi… what took you so long?" she whispered, wiping the tears away from your eyes. He let Miyuki pull away a little, but didn't let go of her. _

"_Kambei-sama just took a long time deciding what to do. But I couldn't wait to get out of the meeting and see you again Miyuki…" He said, smiling._

_Miyuki looked up at him in surprise and saw that his face was very tender. She couldn't help but gaze into his eyes, and she saw that his eyes seemed about to overflow with kindness and caring. But what Miyuki didn't realize was that the space between their faces was slowly disappearing. Heihachi closed his eyes, held Miyuki closer, and suddenly, he kissed her on the lips. It was a soft, gentle, passionate kiss and Miyuki didn't know what to do._

"_Miyuki… I felt that shock again… Now I know that I wasn't just imagining that spark… that connection when we first touched…" Heihachi thought. _

_Miyuki nearly panicked. "Heihachi… I… Wh- What do I do!"_

_Heihachi slowly opened his eyes and saw that Miyuki's eyes were open and had a surprised and confused look in them. He blinked and broke the kiss._

"_I-I'm so sorry Miyuki… I… I'll leave now… I'm sorry…" he stuttered. He got up to leave and was about to walk out the door when Miyuki leaped up from where she was sitting and grabbed his hand. As Heihachi turned around, Miyuki saw he was blushing. She gently put her hand on his cheek and brought him closer to her. Miyuki's face was bright red as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Heihachi's. _

"_I can't explain it Heihachi… but I know it was no accident that we met…" Miyuki thought. Heihachi wrapped his arms around her waist and Miyuki knew he was thinking the same thing. They stayed there for a long time before they slowly pulled apart._

"_Miyuki… that was…. so…" Heihachi couldn't go on._

"…_magical… I know…" Miyuki finished for him. He still had his arms around Miyuki's waist and she couldn't pull away. Every time she tried, Heihachi only pulled her back toward him._

_Finally, Miyuki spoke up, "Heihachi… I need to sleep now. You should go back to the other samurai and get some sleep too…"_

"_But I don't want to. I want to stay with you Miyuki…" He protested. _

"_I know. I want to stay with you too… But you should go back. You don't want to make the other samurai worried about you." She replied, looking at the floor. Heihachi gave up._

"_They won't miss me. But if you really think so, I'll go." He said._

_Heihachi let Miyuki go and turned to the door. He looked back at her one more time and smiled._

"_I really like you Miyuki." He said, blushing again._

_Miyuki blushed and smiled at him, "I like you too Heihachi." He walked out the door and into the night, going back to the other samurai. Miyuki felt her heart pounding and she put her hand over her heart._

"_No, Heihachi," she thought, "I think I like you more than just as a friend…"_


	3. Conversation With Kambei

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any names affiliated with it. I only own Miyuki._

_**This chapter is dedicated to my friend Heidi. Sometimes, you have to go along with what someone else has decided. Yes, it's difficult, but you live through it.**_

_A few weeks of hard training passed and Miyuki felt like she was falling in love with Heihachi more and more. She had been learning **kyudo** (the way of the bow) from a blond samurai who seemed a little older than Heihachi, but way more silent and he didn't seem to like anything or anyone. Miyuki looked around to see her friend Akiko and found that she was also learning how to shoot arrows. Akiko was a little older than Miyuki. She was about 19 years old, with light brown hair. She was tall, thin, pretty, and very optimistic. The blond samurai was teaching her how to hold the bow and draw the string as far back as was comfortable. Akiko shot an arrow and it hit the target she was aiming at dead center. _

_As she smiled and turned to the samurai, Miyuki thought she heard Akiko say "Thank you Kyuzo". Miyuki could tell that Akiko really liked the samurai named Kyuzo, but she didn't have the heart to tell Akiko that he might not be the type of guy who could return her affections. Akiko saw Miyuki looking and smiled and waved. Miyuki waved back but turned away from the scene when she heard Heihachi walk up behind her. _

"_What're you looking at Miyuki?" he asked._

"_Nothing. Just my friend Akiko." Miyuki stated plainly._

"_Oh," Heihachi replied, "Well it's almost dark now, you wanna go back to your house and talk like we always do?"_

_Miyuki smiled and said, " Sure. Just let me finish up here." Heihachi turned away from her when he heard someone call his name. Shichiroji and Gorobei ran up to speak with him. _

"_Hey, guys. What's the hurry?" Heihachi asked. _

"_Kambei-sama wants to speak with you. He said he wanted us to tell you and the others that we're going to war tomorrow but also something else. I don't know what it's about but I have a feeling…" Gorobei and Shichiroji looked at each other, then at Miyuki, then back at Heihachi._

"_Never mind. But while you go speak with Kambei-sama, Shichiroji and I will handle things here," Gorobei said. Heihachi looked slightly worried._

"_You sure? I can ask Kyuzo-dono and Katsushiro-kun if you guys need any more help," Heihachi said, looking at Katsushiro who was pulling arrows out for a villager._

"_Nah, it's ok. Besides, after the villagers finish up here, they go to find their children. And we all know who their favorite person is…" Shichiroji's voice faded._

_Heihachi, Gorobei, and Shichiroji looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. "KIKUCHIYO!" they said in unison._

"_Ok I'll go then," Heihachi said, " But make sure you watch the villagers when they're pulling out arrows. Sometimes they'll accidentally cut their palms on the arrowheads."_

"_Got it," Shichiroji said, turning away. Heihachi turned to Miyuki and crouched down next to her._

" _Kambei-sama wants to talk to me for a while. I'll be at your house soon enough to join you for dinner ok?" he whispered softly in her ear._

"_Ok. I'm making extra rice so we can have some rice balls," Miyuki said, not looking up from her work. She laughed and Heihachi smiled. It always made him happy when he heard her laugh. That first time he had held Miyuki in his arms, he'd noticed that she was so alone and afraid. Heihachi couldn't bear seeing her so sad and he couldn't stop thinking about her. She kept haunting his dreams and he wanted to spend all his time with her. Heihachi didn't want to name the feeling yet, but he knew he was falling in love with Miyuki. He stood up and started walking towards Kambei's house._

_After Heihachi told Miyuki where he was going, she put down her bow and unstrung it like Kyuzo had shown her. Then she made sure she pulled out all the arrows from her target and cleaned them. After about 30 minutes of cleaning arrows, Miyuki stood up, stretched and followed after the rest of the villagers who were going home after training. She went to her house and started making some rice for dinner. Suddenly there was a tapping at the screen in the doorway and she looked up. _

"_Come in," Miyuki said cautiously. The screen was pushed aside to reveal Kambei standing there and he looked concerned. Miyuki was shocked but she bowed anyway._

"_Great Samurai! Forgive me but I did not know you were coming…" But Kambei cut her off._

" _It's all right Miyuki. I only came to discuss your relationship with Heihachi-san," he said, sitting down next to her. Miyuki looked at him, her eyes betraying the slightest glimpse of fear._

"_W-We are only friends Kambei-sama. Nothing more…" she stammered. Kambei looked pained, as if he didn't want to continue._

"_But you wish to be more than friends. I know Heihachi does and so do you. I just came from talking to him, and I want you to know the dangers of this relationship." Miyuki__looked up at him with a pale face and she wanted to cry._

"_What dangers Kambei-sama?" her question came out little more than a whisper._

"_If Heihachi should become more involved with you, it might cloud his judgment. And that is a risk we cannot take. I must ask you to keep your relationship at a low level until this war is over." Miyuki looked at him with an crushed expression on her face, but inside she was relieved. She could still see Heihachi, but she just couldn't do much else._

"_I understand Great Samurai," she said, bowing, " Thank you for letting me know. I will respect your wishes." Kambei nodded and stood. He pushed the screen aside and put one foot out before he stopped._

"_One more thing. Do you have a friend named Akiko who is most often seen with Kyuzo-dono?" Miyuki felt a shock run through her and she knew what Akiko was going to hear soon enough. She didn't want to say that she was friends with Akiko, but knew Kambei would know if she were lying._

"_Yes, Great Samurai. She lives up the road a little ways. I know what you intend to say, Kambei-sama, and when you say it, I ask only that you be prepared for her… emotions… She is very emotional, but can take it when she needs to," Miyuki said, looking into the flames of the fire in front of her._

"_Thank you for the kind advice Miyuki. Good night." Kambei walked out the door and Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't like hearing that from Kambei, since she so badly wanted to let Heihachi know her feelings for him. But she knew that she had to respect Kambei's wishes as she had said._

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_Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to come out. I wanted to get more reviews for my story so I would know if I should continue or not. I hope readers keep sending me requests for more chapters because I actually finished the story. I just need reader support. Thanks for reading!_

_-NeverLookBackSamurai_


	4. Confession, Her Secret, and the Request

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Kathy and her fiancée. Congratulations.**_

_Miyuki looked down at her hands and clasped them together._

"_Heihachi…" she thought, " If only you knew how I feel about you… I wish this war were over…" Just then, Heihachi came through the screen and sat next to her. His eyes told her that he had talked to Kambei and Miyuki knew he didn't like being told what to do. Wordlessly, she moved over next to him and he put his arms around her. _

"_Kambei-sama… He…?" Miyuki began._

"_Yes… I didn't like hearing it from him either… And Kambei-sama said that we're going to war tomorrow… so… I guess maybe it's time I told you." Miyuki looked up into his eyes with a confused look on her face. Heihachi looked into your eyes with something you were surprised to find. _

"_Heihachi?" she whispered, uncertain. She could see his eyes shining and just like their first meeting, he kissed her. Miyuki wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer. Heihachi pushed her against the wall and continued to kiss her. They stayed like that for a long time and when they finally broke apart for air, Heihachi was the first to speak._

"_Miyuki… I love you…" he said breathlessly, " I've loved you ever since you gave me that rice ball… And when we would talk at night…you seemed so lonely… I couldn't bear it… But… if you don't love me… I guess I'll understand…" He looked away and loosened his hold around her waist. Miyuki couldn't stand seeing him in doubt about her feelings so she placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. _

"_Heihachi… I do love you… I've loved you since I first saw you too… But… what about Kambei's warning?" She asked. Heihachi looked at her sadly._

"_Then we won't let our relationship go that far. At least not until this war is over."_

_Miyuki looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She pressed her face into his chest and cried silently._

"_Heihachi… I want to be with you forever… I don't ever want to leave your side… But … what'll happen if… if you get killed…? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you did…" she sobbed. _

"_If I do, know that I'll always love you no matter what…" he whispered into her ear._

"_No… if you die, I won't let you go alone… I'll help you fight in the war. With this." Miyuki pulled away from Heihachi and crawled to the corner of her house with the Honor scroll hanging on the wall. She pried open a floorboard and revealed a black case. Heihachi gave a start as he recognized what it was._

"_This is my greatest treasure. But also my greatest secret. I…" Miyuki took a deep breath, " I'm a samurai as well. But no one in the village knows it except Kirara's grandmother and the elder. Not even Kirara and Akiko know. Although I was going to tell them sooner or later…"_

_Miyuki opened the case and inside was a katana sword in a dark blue scabbard. She drew the sword and the blade seemed to have a faint red shimmer all along it, like the metal had been mixed with blood when it was forged. She turned to face Heihachi and placed sword and scabbard in front of him to look at._

"_This sword was my father's when he came to the village. He was a samurai too. I was only 8 when the Nobuseri attacked our village, so I didn't know much about sword fighting or anything like that. But before my father ran out the door with my mom to see what was wrong, he suddenly gave this to me, saying that I would know when to use it. Now I know that the time to use it is now," she said. Heihachi sat there still stunned. But finally he managed to say something._

"_But you can't go to war… do you even know how to fight? … And I won't let you... You mean too much to me and… I can't bear to think about it if I lost you…" he trailed off._

"_Heihachi… it is my choice to help you on the battlefield. At least give me a chance to prove myself to you… please… I can fight with a sword and knife and I know martial arts. Don't worry… and if we die… at least we'll die together… right?" Miyuki asked. She scooted next to him and put her head on his shoulder. It took a while, and a lot of convincing, but finally Heihachi gave in reluctantly. Miyuki put the sword away and just as she replaced the floorboard, he embraced her from behind._

"_Please don't move. Don't… don't do anything. I just want to hold you one last time… before we go to war… I just want to spend this last peaceful night with you, alone…" he said, burying his face in the back of her neck. She turned around in his arms and put her head on his chest. Being with him alone made her feel calmer and safer than she had ever felt before. _

"_Miyuki… No matter what happens tomorrow or in the days to come, know that I will always love you… even if I die…" she heard him say._

"_Heihachi. Promise me one thing," she said_

" _What?"_

"_If we die, and eventually we will if not tomorrow," Heihachi tightened his hold around her, " promise me that we'll die together," she whispered._

"_Yes… I promise," he replied. Miyuki nodded. Tears flowed down her cheeks as Heihachi lay down with her in his arms. She curled up against his chest, hearing the calming sound of his heart beating and her tears stopped._

"_Please… let me be with her…" Heihachi thought, " Just for this last night… I just want to hold her close to me… breathe her sweet scent… Even if it means I can never be with her again after this war… I just want her with me now…"_

"_Heihachi… please… I don't want you to die…" Miyuki thought as she silently wept, " I just want to spend this last night with you… To have you close to me… possibly for the last time…"_

_Almost on cue, Miyuki and Heihachi whispered to each other, "I love you…" _

_Soon after, they both fell asleep._

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_Sorry this story is taking so long to come out. I will post the chapters faster if more people review. So, please review! (The following is a random request) If anyone likes rice, onigiri, rice cakes, mochi, etc. please message me!_


	5. Other Romances

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**This chapter is dedicated to Vivian. You'll find the right one soon.**_

_Little did Heihachi and Miyuki know that Kambei, Shichiroji, Kyuzo, Kirara, and Katsushiro were watching them. Kambei, Shichiroji, and Kyuzo were in front of the group with Kirara and Katsu-kun in back. Katsushiro and Kirara looked at each other with sad expressions. Kambei had given them a lecture about not taking their relationship any farther than it already was. But Kirara wanted to tell Katsu-kun how she felt about him. Watching Heihachi and Miyuki declare their love for each other made her heart ache unbearably. Katsushiro looked like he was thinking the same thing. Kambei and Shichiroji gazed sadly upon the scene, while Kyuzo was his usual impassive self. _

"_I suppose that I knew this was going to happen…" Kambei sighed. "Young love can never be swayed… wouldn't you say Shichiroji?"_

"_I suppose. But I truly wouldn't know. I didn't fall in love as young as Heihachi and Miyuki did," he replied as he thought, "But I should have done more than I did for Yukino. Now I may never see her again…"_

"_Despite my warnings, I think I'm glad that Heihachi did what he did. It shows that he is determined and can persevere." Kambei smiled to himself. Kirara looked at Katsushiro and he was looking at the ground with tears in his eyes. Suddenly, he stood next to her and grabbed her hand. She felt tears forming in her eyes as well. _

"_I just want you to know that I love you and nothing will ever change that even if I die in this war. I don't care if you don't love me or even like me in return. I just wanted you to know that," Katsushiro whispered quickly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze._

_Oh, Katsushiro… I do love you… I only wish we had more time-" Kirara whispered back, but she was interrupted by Kambei._

"_What are you two whispering about?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Kirara and Katsu looked up and let go of each other's hands. Kirara turned and wiped your tears away, but she couldn't wipe away the pain lingering in your heart._

"_Nothing, Kambei-sama…" she sniffled. Kambei looked knowingly at Shichiroji, and when he looked back at the sleeping forms of Heihachi and Miyuki, he smiled._

"_I think we'll leave them alone now. Iki masho (Let's go). We need to rest before our battle tomorrow," he said, turning on his heel. All of them turned and were heading toward their respective houses. Kirara looked back after she had taken a few steps and saw Kyuzo still standing there. She knew what he was thinking and she felt sorry for him. _

"_Oh, Kyuzo-dono… You're thinking about Akiko-chan aren't you?" she half-whispered. He turned around and she saw that his once cold red eyes were overflowing with tears. He walked right past her, following Kambei and Shichiroji. Katsushiro came up behind her and she felt him embrace her. _

"_Death will surely come to me tomorrow. If it does, know that I love you and care about you. Keep going strong," he said, holding her close. Kirara thought he sounded like Kambei-sama, and she was going to say so, but before she could even open her mouth, Katsu kissed her cheek quickly and walked away with the other samurai. She stood still, gently touching her dousing crystal, which was glowing brightly. She hung her head and wept silently._

"_Oh Katsushiro… This war is tearing everyone apart… You, me, Heihachi, Miyuki… Even Kyuzo and Akiko… when is this going to end?"_

_Kyuzo was walking aimlessly around the village. He was remembering how Heihachi and Miyuki had confessed their love for each other and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart as an image of Akiko appeared in his mind._

"_Why is it that Akiko matters so much to me?" he thought, "I know that I might die tomorrow, but… why is it that I want to stay with her? Am I in-" Suddenly, he realized what it was he felt for Akiko. Just seeing Heihachi declare his love for Miyuki made Kyuzo realize that he was in love with Akiko. Tomorrow he had to go off to war and he didn't want to leave her alone. The pain in his heart grew sharper and tears that he never knew he had came to his eyes. _

_Suddenly, Kyuzo felt that he had to see Akiko one last time. So he silently slipped through the shadows to Akiko's house. He got there and walked in, relieved to find Akiko was still awake. She looked surprised as he sat down next to her and embraced her tightly. _

"_K-Kyuzo? What's wrong?" she asked. Kyuzo remained silent. He just held her closer as tears ran down his face. Finally, he pulled away a little and looked into her eyes._

"_Akiko… I just want you to know that I love you… I had to say that to you before I leave for the war tomorrow… Please… keep smiling if I die…" he said, gently touching her face. Akiko looked shocked but then her eyes grew warm as she embraced him back. _

"_Kyuzo… I love you too… I can't guarantee that I will keep smiling… but I will try to keep living… But promise me that you'll try to come back. Alright?" she whispered. Kyuzo smiled at her optimism. _

"_Of course… Oh, Akiko I love you…" he whispered, kissing her. Sadness and anxiety hung heavy above Kanna village that night, as the inhabitants felt the almost tangible weight of the coming war._

_A/N: People! Start reviewing more please! Thanks to fix-it Alchemist & KittiRatt for the most reviews so far. Chapters will come out faster if people review more! I promise!_


	6. Secret Preparations and Goodbye

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Andree. I miss you terribly old friend.**_

_Miyuki woke up as the first light of dawn was flooding through the window she left open. She looked to her right and there was Heihachi, sound asleep with his arms wrapped around her. She smiled a small sad smile, kissed his lips, and gently pulled out of his grip. She changed into a blood-red kimono with silver edging that stopped at mid-thigh length and black leggings. Next, she tied her hair into a ponytail and put a black mask-cloth over her face so it only showed her eyes. Suddenly she froze as she heard a noise. Miyuki whirled around but found that it was only Heihachi mumbling in his sleep. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as she pried open the loose floorboard again and took out her katana. After tying it in her obi (belt of a kimono), she took out four daggers that were under the case. She put two in her boots and the other two in holsters that went around her arms. Finally, she took out a piece of paper and wrote a note to Heihachi on it. With a slight hint of regret in her eyes, she folded it into the shape of a sakura flower (cherry blossom) and left it on his katana next to him. Ruefully, she bent down to him and lifted her mask to kiss him one last time. Then she stood up and walked out the door. _

_About 3 hours after Miyuki left, Heihachi woke up. At first he panicked, thinking that something bad had happened to her, but then he saw the sakura note lying on his katana. He sat up, picked it up, unfolded it, and read the note in Miyuki's handwriting. His heart felt heavy with sadness and worry when he finished reading it._

_Dearest Heihachi,_

_I don't really know what to say, except to say that I am sorry I cannot be with you when you wake up. I have been called away on personal business but I am sure that we will meet again very soon. Where I am going, I wish I could say, but I know that you would just say for me to stay in Kanna village and that I cannot do. This is my path and I must follow it. Heihachi, no matter where I am, or whatever happens, I will always love you. Please remember that on the battlefield. Come home soon._

_Love unto the end of time and beyond,_

_Miyuki_

"_Oh, Miyuki… please be safe wherever you are…" he thought. Suddenly, Katsushiro burst through the screen panting hard. He looked like he'd been running a lot._

"_Katsushiro-kun, you look like a wreck. What happened?" Heihachi asked, rubbing his eyes from the sudden brightness._

"_I was looking for you all over the village. You weren't in your house, so I thought you were in here," Katsushiro replied, panting heavily._

"_Well, yeah I am in here. What of it?" Heihachi asked standing up._

"_Sensei wants us to get ready to go now." Katsushiro looked around and saw something was missing._

"_Heihachi-dono, where's Miyuki?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Heihachi showed Katsushiro the note and watched his face fill with more and more confusion. Finally he gave the note back to Heihachi and shook his head._

"_I'm so sorry she left so suddenly. I don't know where she could have gone…" Katsushiro trailed off._

"_I think I do," Heihachi said suddenly, looking at the floor and clenching his teeth. Katsushiro looked at Heihachi with a confused look on his face. Heihachi looked up at Katsushiro with fearful eyes._

"_Only… I hope that I'm dead wrong," he said. _

"_In any case, I'll keep a lookout for her. And I'll tell the others as well," Katsushiro said, turning to walk out the door. Heihachi nodded his thanks as Katsushiro stepped out. He sighed and put his jacket and vest on. Finally he made sure his katana was fastened to his back then he stepped out into the morning. Heihachi walked to Lady Kirara's house in a sorrowful mood, all the while keeping an eye out for Miyuki. But he couldn't find her. Soon he sat in the house with Kambei and all the other samurai. He noticed that all of them looked tense, even Kyuzo, but surely it wasn't the upcoming battle? Suddenly, he sensed that someone was nearby trying to listen. And he also smelled something floating by on the wind. Something that was sweet, like the almond-scent of sakura blossoms. And it was very familiar._

_"That's why everyone's so tense," he thought, "But… that scent… It couldn't be!"  
_


	7. Secret of the Samurai Heirloom

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki and Michiko._

_**This chapter is dedicated to my mother and father, who are my inspiration for** **the two newest characters. And who also encourage me to keep writing. Arigato gozaimasu.**  
_

_Miyuki was lying on a rafter in Kirara's house, high above the floor and the samurai. She lay absolutely still, and the sound of her breathing was like snow falling in winter: silent. Although she could not see him, Miyuki could hear Kambei addressing the assembled samurai._

"_The time for war has come. We are going to destroy the newly banded Nobuseri who are coming to steal Kanna's rice again. And as before, a new capital is coming. Only the emperor isn't inside it. The capital is now the mind of all the Nobuseri machines. Our mission is to divide into groups that will take out the Nobuseri and the capital. Shichiroji and I will take the capital's mind. Katsushiro and Heihachi, you go after the main engines like last time. Kyuzo, Gorobei and Kikuchiyo, you will kill as many of the Nobuseri as you can. Everyone understand?" Kambei asked. Miyuki shifted her position slightly so she could see. She could see all the samurai nod, and that's when she realized that they all looked tense. _

"_Oh, crap. Either they're nervous about the war, or they know I'm here," she thought. Miyuki saw Kirara was right below her, serving the "rice with fireflies" that Miyuki detested so much. Komachi was who knows where but Miyuki could hear her playful laugh even from inside the house. _

"_I want to go with Heihachi, but Katsushiro might take off my head in self-defense if I followed him. I could go with Kyuzo, Gorobei and Kikuchiyo, but Kiku's so damn loud and annoying, Gorobei is okay but I don't really want to go into battle following him, and Kyuzo could sense my presence from a mile away, just like he does now. Kambei and Shichiroji make such a good team that they wouldn't need my help even if I offered it. Ugh… fine I'll just follow on my own," Miyuki thought, disgustedly moving back into the shadows in the rafters. She heard the samurai thank Kirara and her grandmother as they walked outside. She heard Kirara's soft footsteps following the samurai, but Miyuki was shocked as Kirara's grandmother spoke. _

"_Why don't you come down from there child? I can imagine it's quite uncomfortable," she said. It took Miyuki a minute to realize that she was talking to **her.** Mumbling to herself about not finding a better hiding place, Miyuki dropped down next to Kirara's grandmother and sat next to her. _

"_You knew I was here all along, didn't you **Obaa-chan**?" she asked softly. Grandmother nodded, smiling slightly._

"_You should go after them. I know why you want to go to war, my dear," she said, embracing Miyuki. Miyuki's body stiffened for a second, but she relented as memories started to come back to her._

_"Does this help you? I know your mother used to do this all the time when you were a child," Grandmother said._

"_Yes…" Miyuki sighed as she pulled away, "It's so obvious isn't it? I just can't help it."_

"_You know, you look just like Michiko when she went off to war with your father," Grandmother smiled as Miyuki stared at her, dumbfounded. She never knew that her mother had also gone off to war. And with her father no less. She had never heard of this in her life. Miyuki continued to stare at Grandmother as she kept speaking._

"_Oh yes," Grandmother nodded serenely. "Michiko was a female samurai, just like you. Her mother was too. You come from a long line of female samurai. And it just so happens that all of the men in your family are also samurai. But eventually they discovered the quiet life of a farmer, so they quit being samurai. They weren't ashamed of it and neither should you. The only life you've ever known is that of a farming girl, but I have seen you sneaking out at night with your father's katana to practice fighting. It's in your blood and nothing can stop that. So go after your love and fight alongside him." She smiled at Miyuki and Miyuki felt tears brimming her eyes. She had never heard anybody talk about her family this way, and now she knew the secret of her family. But there was one thing that left Miyuki confused._

"_But Obaa-chan, what happened to my mother? I saw her being carried off by the Nobuseri, and my father was killed in front of my eyes. But what happened to okaa-san (mother) after that?" Miyuki asked, blinking away the tears in her eyes. Grandmother's smile disappeared and Miyuki saw sadness in her eyes. Her voice seemed to have taken on a mournful tone as she spoke._

"_Shortly after she was carried off, she managed to kill her captors. But upon her return here, we saw that she was fatally wounded. We did all we could, but she had lost so much blood already that she died. I am so sorry that we did not tell you this sooner, but we felt it best that you did not know until you came of age," Grandmother sighed._

" '_We'? Who is 'we'?" Miyuki asked, thoroughly perplexed now. But a voice from behind her answered her question._

"_My grandmother and I." Miyuki turned around as she reached for her sword, but she only saw Kirara. _

"_Mikumaru-sama…" Miyuki whispered as her grip on her sword relaxed. Kirara sat next to Miyuki and continued to speak._

"_My grandmother has shared many of the villagers' stories with me. I am sworn to secrecy but I don't mind. When the time comes, we tell the villagers their pasts. Most of them do not remember much of what we say, but in time, they come to remember. Yours is by far the most painful and well-kept secret we know," she said, touching her dousing crystal. Miyuki looked at the pair of them and did not know what to say. She felt numb, yet somehow relieved that they told her before it was too late… Shaking her head at the thought, Miyuki turned to both of them and bowed deeply._

"_I thank you for telling me this. I am grateful that you chose this time to tell me. Now we both know what we must do," she said, standing up. Kirara and her grandmother nodded._

"_We will pray for your safe return," Kirara and her grandmother said in unison._

"_I'm sure we'll meet again," Miyuki said, forcing a smile. She stepped out the door, and in so doing, she stepped into her new life: the life of a samurai daughter. _

"_I must keep going on this path set before me by my ancestors. I can never look back," Miyuki thought. She saw a huge ship coming towards her and small black dots hovering around it. Seeing it sent a shiver down her spine, but she forced herself to keep moving._

"_Mother… Father… I'm off to war and I may never come back. Death is the only way out now… Watch over me please…" she thought grimly as she broke into a sprint towards the bridge._

_**""""""""""**_

_A/N: The separating line won't work for my computer so I have to try something else. A big thank you to fix-it Alchemist, KittiRatt, Motokonobaka, and all the others who have reviewed my story. The next chapter is well underway to being posted, so keep checking! For now, please read the other things I've written._

_NLBS _


	8. Mysterious Warrior

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Motokonobaka, who keeps asking for new chapters to be updated. **  
_

_The samurai were running towards the capital and it was almost directly above them. Heihachi was starting to get a little worried._

"_Kambei-sama! We do this exactly like last time right?" Heihachi shouted over the rushing of the wind. _

"_Yes! You know what to do! **Hayaku**! (Hurry!)" Kambei replied. Heihachi nodded to Kambei, and then made a motion to Katsushiro. The two left the other 5 samurai to get to the engines. _

"_Katsushiro! Same thing like last time! **Iki masho**!" Heihachi saw Katsushiro nod, as he blocked gunfire every so often that came from behind them. Suddenly, someone in a short kimono and black pants with a black mask over their face landed in front of them. Evidently, they had leaped up from the edge of the balcony and was now shouting at Heihachi and Katsushiro. Katsushiro almost stabbed the person, but Heihachi stopped him when he saw the sword at the person's waist. _

"_Samurai! Come this way!" the samurai shouted, turning on their heel. They ran down a hallway as Katsushiro and Heihachi looked at each other, unsure whether to follow or not. Finally, they ran after._

"_That person seems familiar… where have I seen them before?" Heihachi thought as he ran. Then it hit him, as he smelled the same sweet almond scent that he did at Kirara's house._

_"Now I know I was right…" Heihachi cursed under his breath. " I only hoped I was wrong…"_

_The samurai led them down a maze of corridors. Suddenly, they froze in the hallway. A huge guard with a sword swung down at the samurai. Heihachi was about to call out a warning but there was an abrupt flash of steel and the guard froze. He fell, blood spurting out of a cut in his neck. Heihachi and Katsushiro stared at the samurai in amazement, and saw that though their katana had blood dripping down the blade, it looked as though the blade-metal itself was tinted with blood. Heihachi and Katsushiro noticed it at the same time and looked at each other, then back at the person. Heihachi stepped forward as the samurai turned around, and he found himself looking into warm, familiar eyes. _

_"Miyuki…" he whispered._


	9. Fight Inside the Engine Room

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Xochitl. Your randomness inspired me to make this chapter the way it is.**_

_**Warning**: This chapter contains violence. Nothing too descriptive, just a heads up for those who dislike violence._

_The warrior turned around and looked at Heihachi and Katsushiro. Heihachi gave a start as he recognized the warm, familiar eyes. _

"_Miyuki! Take off the mask! I know it's you!" he shouted. The warrior paused for a second, then took off the mask and shook their head. Yes, it was Miyuki, although she looked much different now. Her normally kind, soft voice was replaced by a coldness that made Heihachi and Katsushiro flinch when she spoke._

"_Yes, it's me. I told you I would help you fight in the war Heihachi. We should get going. I can hear other guards coming this way," she said, briskly turning to haul the guard away. Miyuki pushed the guard into a dark corner of the hallway and opened the door he had been guarding. Inside it smelled like oil and it thundered with the noise of hundreds of gears. It was a huge room with a metal walkway running from one door to another spanning the width of the capital. It was as long as it was wide and it only had two doors. Miyuki heard Heihachi and Katsushiro follow and they shut the door. _

"_Heihachi, you should do what you have to do and then get the hell out of here," she said, walking to the far side of the engine room. "I'll guard the south door. Katsushiro, do whatever you feel is necessary." Heihachi ran to a control panel and started to disable it as Katsushiro looked at her and nodded. But he wanted to say something as well._

"_Lady Miyuki… You're a great warrior. I am honored to stand beside you in battle," he said bowing. Miyuki looked at him with impassively, but her eyes showed a small flicker of amusement in them._

"_I am flattered that you see me that way, Katsushiro-kun," she said, "But you must not esteem me so high as you forget to esteem yourself. You, too, are a great warrior, and **I** am honored to stand beside **you **in this war." She bowed to him and Katsushiro nodded. He looked a little embarrassed to have her talking to him this way as he walked over to guard the door they had come through. At the south door, Miyuki could hear guards running along the walkway outside and she put one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other on a dagger. She heard the gears in the room start to slow down as Heihachi destroyed the mechanisms controlling them. Looking around carefully, she also found a lock nearby and she bolted the door shut. Now nobody could get in from the outside without completely shattering the door. Miyuki smiled inwardly but the smile was short-lived as she heard Katsushiro call out. She whirled around and saw some seventy-five guards trying to get past Katsushiro. Drawing her sword and a dagger, Miyuki ran towards Katsushiro, only to be driven back by gunfire. She saw that Katsushiro was fighting what appeared to be a master in wielding a blade. Looking at Heihachi, she found that he was backed into a corner while fighting another swordsman. _

"_Damn. This place is filled with martial artists. I can't fight this many. I didn't train myself for that. Ugh, why am I talking like this? I have to try!" Miyuki thought, furious for doubting her abilities. About twenty guards surrounded her with guns. She chanced a cautious look around and then flew into action. Back flipping through the air, she landed on the head of one guard, while slaying the other two with her sword and dagger. Bullets flew as Miyuki gracefully leaped and spun around, killing the guards one by one. In less than ten seconds, all twenty guards were dead. Without hesitating, Miyuki flew towards her nearest comrade, Katsushiro. But as soon as she got there and raised her sword, a young man dressed all in black with black hair appeared out of nowhere and thrust a sword right through her midriff._

_""""""""""_

_A/N: I know some people will probably hate me for doing this but I thought it was a good idea. Sorry if you hate it but keep reading. _


	10. Desperate Choice

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Jihoo. Keep smiling and laughing like a monkey.**_

_Miyuki froze, dropping her sword and dagger as she looked into his cold, blood red eyes. The man removed his sword and Miyuki fell to her hands and knees. _

"_NO MIYUKI!" Heihachi shouted. _

"_LADY MIYUKI!" Katsushiro cried out. In that moment, the man he was fighting took advantage of Katsushiro's distraction and knocked him to the ground, pinning Katsushiro's arms behind his back. Katsushiro cried out in as the man pulled his ponytail. Miyuki coughed up a mouthful of blood as Heihachi was thrown in front of her, pinned down by his assailant. _

"_Miyuki! Please, Miyuki, look at me!" Heihachi said to her. Miyuki weakly lifted her head and saw fear in Heihachi's eyes. The red-eyed man picked her up by her collar and slammed her against the wall. She coughed up more blood as her breathing became slightly ragged. The men restraining Heihachi and Katsushiro made them kneel in front of her and Miyuki was also forced to her knees. _

"_Girl, you are going to see your friends die before you," the man holding her whispered into her ear. Miyuki turned her head away, feeling sick. _

"_I couldn't have failed… I didn't mean to do this… Where did I go wrong?" she thought, racking her brain for ideas. _

"_Get away from her!" Heihachi shouted, thoroughly pissed off. The three men laughed and signaled for the rest of the guards to leave the room. When they did, the man holding Heihachi threw him to the floor._

"_What? She your girlfriend?" he asked. Heihachi and Katsushiro bit their tongues to keep from replying back. Heihachi looked up at Miyuki to find she was looking at him as well. Miyuki's eyes had become bright, brighter than Heihachi had ever seen. Suddenly, he understood what she was going to do. _

"_Don't do it," he thought, and Miyuki shook her head slightly. A single tear fell, as her eyes seemed to apologize to him._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered, and she said it for Heihachi alone._

"_What did you say gir-" The man's voice was cut off as Miyuki spun around with surprising speed, a dagger in her hand. Katsushiro and Heihachi's eyes widened. They didn't even see her move to grab a dagger. Before the man hit the ground, Miyuki had already slit the throat of the man holding Katsushiro and broke the neck of the one holding Heihachi. All three men lay on the ground and Miyuki was still standing. _

"_I've done it… I… killed them…" she thought. Heihachi and Katsushiro looked at her, feeling numb. Slowly they looked at each other in amazement. _

_The thoughts in their heads were exactly the same, "SHE'S BETTER THAN KYUZO!" Suddenly, Miyuki dropped her dagger and fell to the ground. Heihachi ran to her and picked her up. Katsushiro was right next to him._

"_Miyuki! Miyuki wake up!" Heihachi cried. Miyuki's eyes fluttered open and she smiled a small, sardonic smile. _

"_**Hayaku** (hurry)… You've got a job to do. Leave me here… I'll stay for as long as I can…" she whispered. Heihachi's eyes filled with tears as he lifted her up and walked back to the control panel. _

"_Katsushiro, we need to blow this place up again. Can you place these for me? I need to kill the engine completely," Heihachi said to Katsushiro, handing him a string of explosives. Katsushiro nodded and ran off behind some huge gears. Heihachi tore some cloth from the edge of Miyuki's kimono and wrapped it around her wound. When he finished, he let Miyuki lean on him as he started to destroy the controls._


	11. Explanation Before Death

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

**_Chapter dedicated to my late aunt. Though I never knew her, I will regardless hold her forever in my heart._**

**_Part of this chapter was inspired by "My Immortal" by Evanescence  
_**

"_You've got a lot of explaining to do. Why are you wearing that outfit? Why did you leave so suddenly last night? How can you fight so well?" Heihachi asked over the groaning of slowing gears and fizzing of dying controls._

"_I'm sorry I left last night while you were sleeping. Let me apologize for that at least… I know how to fight… because before you and the others came… I would go out at night and practice… This morning, I woke up at dawn and… I prepared a few things then I wrote you that note… After that, I went to Kirara's house to hide and listen to Kambei… I wanted to know where you would be going… After you… and the other samurai left… Kirara's grandmother noticed me and told me the story of… my family history. I come from a long line of female samurai… and all the men whom my female ancestors married were samurai as well… my mother was a female samurai… and my father was too… but they became weary of samurai life… and became farmers… they weren't ashamed of it… so why should I be? I mean… I'm the daughter of samurai who became farmers because they wanted a peaceful life… what of it?" Miyuki panted as she finished speaking, her strength waning._

"_Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Are you ok?" Heihachi asked, turning his head after finishing with the controls. Miyuki moaned in pain and felt sick as she watched her blood soak through Heihachi's clothing. She pulled on Heihachi's shoulder to make him turn around. He did and she fell into him. _

"_Hey, watch it. Are you trying to kill yourself?" Heihachi asked, catching her and cradling her in his arms. His face rapidly became fearful as he saw that Miyuki's eyes were becoming dark and cloudy, so unlike her bright, caring eyes._

"_Heihachi… I feel so cold…" she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Desperately, Heihachi took off his gloves and felt her skin. She was cold, so he took off his vest and jacket and wrapped it around her. _

"_Miyuki… Miyuki look at me… please… don't give up now…" Heihachi said, tears forming in his eyes. Miyuki was looking around aimlessly as her eyes became darker and darker. Suddenly, they snapped into bright focus, looking directly at him._

"_Heihachi… I'm sorry I won't be able to go back with you…" she said weakly._

" _No… no you're going to make it… come on… please Miyuki… please…you can't give up…" Heihachi said. Miyuki could see he was crying but she was too weak to do anything about it. With what little strength she had left, she leaned up to him and kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her, making her warm for the last time. Darkness entered Miyuki's vision as her breathing slowed._

"_I'm so sleepy… Heihachi… help me… I love you…" she thought. Suddenly, she pulled away from Heihachi and with her last bit of strength, she whispered,_

"_Heihachi… I love you…" Heihachi saw her close her eyes and then she went limp. _

"_No… Miyuki… please… no…" Heihachi sobbed, shaking her. "Miyuki… please answer me… Miyuki? Miyuki, no… No…NO!" He tried to feel her pulse but no matter how much he tried, she didn't have one. Miyuki had died in his arms._

_"""""""_

_A/N: THIS ISN'T THE END! KEEP READING AND DON'T KILL ME FOR DOING THIS PLEASE! _


	12. Life Or Love?

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki._

_**Chapter dedicated to Dal. May we be together forever and sorry I haven't been on MS that much.**_

_Katsushiro hurried back from placing the explosives. As he ducked under a frozen gear, he shouted, _

"_Heihachi! I'm done! We have to get out of-" He froze when he saw Heihachi kneeling on the ground crying over something in his arms. _

"_Heihachi… What…?" Katsushiro felt a numbness spread through his entire body as he realized Heihachi held the still body of Miyuki._

"_She's… Lady Miyuki… she's… no…" he said, his pupils contracting in disbelief. Tears started to form in his eyes but he quickly blinked them away. He walked to Heihachi and put his hand on his shoulder. Heihachi looked up at him with such a painful look, it made Katsushiro's heart ache for his loss._

"_Heihachi. Get out of here with Lady Miyuki. Go back to Kanna village. I'll take care of things here," Katsushiro said, picking up his sword from the walkway where his assailant had made him drop it._

"_But what'll happen to you? Do you know how to detonate the explosives?" Heihachi's voice came out barely more than a whisper. Katsushiro nodded and smiled a small, yet hopeful smile._

"_I watched you do it last time. I know how. Just please tell Lady Kirara one thing…" he said, looking directly into Heihachi's eyes._

"_What?" Heihachi asked. Katsushiro looked at the floor and his hair fell over his eyes, hiding the tears he didn't want to show._

"_If I don't return… tell her… tell her that I love her… and to keep smiling and living," he said. Heihachi nodded. He understood Katsushiro's feelings clearly and felt his grief nearly overcome him again. But he forced those feelings away for now._

"_Of course, Katsushiro." Katsushiro nodded, turned and ran out the south door to place more explosives. _

"_I won't let any guard get past me," Katsushiro thought, his anger rising with every step he took. "I want to make them pay for what they did to Heihachi and Miyuki."_

""""""""""""

_Heihachi watched Katsushiro leave and as he looked back at the destroyed control panel, he knew his job was done. He covered Miyuki's still form with his jacket, picked her up and ran out the north door, following the way he came. As he came to a wide-open balcony, he heard and felt the explosions go off in the engine room. The other samurai were all alive; they were jumping off destroyed Nobuseri and the falling capital alike and landing on a huge Nobuseri blade piloted by Shichiroji. Heihachi only saw them as blurs through his tear-filled eyes, but he managed to blink them away as he heard Kambei yelling at him._

"_Heihachi! Katsushiro! Jump! Now!" he shouted. Heihachi looked up and saw Katsushiro falling toward the blade/ship, but he hesitated as he looked back at Miyuki's seemingly asleep face and closed his eyes. _

"_I don't want to go. I want to die here with her… I can't live without her…" Heihachi thought. They had promised each other that they would die together. Heihachi considered staying right where he was, to die with Miyuki, but a resolute voice cut through his thoughts. _

"_NOW HEIHACHI!" The voice came from Kyuzo, whom everyone looked at with shock. His eyes snapped open and Heihachi could see that Kyuzo's eyes had lost their cold indifference, and it been replaced with sympathy, warmth and love. _

"_Akiko… She's the one who melted his heart…" Heihachi thought. He could see worry and anxiety written all over Kyuzo's face, just like Kyuzo could see Heihachi's pain and grief. _

"_I can still die even after I go back to Kanna… I won't let Miyuki go alone…" Heihachi thought. Blinking away tears for the umpteenth time, Heihachi looked at Miyuki again, closed his eyes and jumped._


	13. Lament For The Fallen Samurai

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I do not own Vienna Teng's "Say Uncle" or any song/title/lyrics affiliated therewith either. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, and Michiko. **The lyrics I used are not correct. I edited them to fit my story.**_

_**Chapter dedicated to my grandfather who was one of my inspirations to learn Japanese.**_

_It was early morning the day after the samurai had gone to battle the capital. All of them had returned to Kanna safely and the villagers rejoiced. That is, until Heihachi walked down the streets toward Kirara's house. The villagers stopped cheering as they saw the bloodstained form in his arms and his tearstained face. Heihachi just couldn't stop crying. When he reached their house, Kirara, her grandmother, and the Elder came out. He saw Kirara cover her mouth and tears form in her eyes, and her grandmother bowed her head respectfully as he passed them. Heihachi sensed a deep regret and sadness from Kirara's grandmother. Heihachi gently laid Miyuki in front of the shrine in Kirara's house and knelt in front of her. He shut his eyes and gave himself to the grief that threatened to overwhelm him. Kirara, Komachi, their grandmother, the Elder, and the rest of the village crowded around the door, wondering what had happened. Only the six samurai remained away from the group, for they knew what had happened and they mourned Heihachi's loss._

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_Akiko ran to the door after Heihachi had gone in and saw the jacket covering the body slip a little. She gasped as she saw Miyuki. Akiko stared, not wanting to believe that her best friend had died, but seeing Heihachi crying was enough to tell her the truth. She leaned against the doorframe in disbelief and felt someone wrap their arms around her. Akiko looked behind her and saw Kyuzo leaning his head on her shoulder. _

"_Kyuzo… Miyuki… she…?" Akiko tried to ask. Kyuzo held her tighter and nodded grimly. Akiko felt something wet start to soak the back of her kimono and knew Kyuzo was crying. Looking at Kirara and Katsushiro, Akiko saw they were weeping and holding each other. The whole village was in shock and even the samurai bent their heads in respect and mourning. Some of them had tears running down their faces._

"_Miyuki… my best friend… she couldn't have…" Akiko thought as a sharp pain grew in her heart. She felt Kyuzo squeeze her waist and she couldn't take it anymore. She turned around, buried her face in his chest and wept. _

"""""""

_Kirara pulled away from Katsushiro and whispered to her grandmother and the Elder. They nodded and Elder spoke sadly._

"_Please, samurai, villagers, lovers," he looked sadly at Katsushiro, Kirara, Kyuzo and Akiko, "We are going to hold a ceremony for our fallen sister at sunset tonight. I ask that only those who were closest to Miyuki stay here. Anyone else, please leave from this place until sunset." The saddened villagers obeyed and left. Kirara told Komachi to go with Okara, Rikichi, and Sanae, as this was no place for her to be right then. Only the samurai, Akiko and Kirara remained. They all knelt on the floor in front of Miyuki and prayed for her spirit. Only Heihachi remained sitting next to her body, his gasps, moans, and sobs barely audible. Kirara's heart ached for him and imagined what would have happened if Katsushiro had died. She wouldn't be able to go on living. As she imagined that painful thought, Katsushiro held her hand and squeezed it tightly, not letting go. Kirara briefly glanced at Akiko and saw that she was holding hands with Kyuzo and was crying silently. Suddenly, someone spoke out with a voice that seemed choked with tears._

"_Let us pray for Lady Miyuki's spirit. Though she rose from the shadows so soon before our battle, she was a true warrior nonetheless. Great samurai, and fallen comrade, farewell," Kambei said. The samurai bowed their heads to the floor, and even Kikuchiyo was silent. _

"_Please Miyuki… where ever you are… hear my prayer and rest in peace… I loved you like a sister… may you find happiness in the afterlife…" Kirara thought remorsefully. Eventually Kirara and the other samurai departed, and Heihachi was left alone with Miyuki._

""""""""

_Heihachi sat with Miyuki's body as his grief overwhelmed you. He had heard Kambei's words and their silent prayers but he didn't care. Guilt and grief were the only things he felt._

"_I didn't do enough… I couldn't save her…" he thought, hating himself, "I should've gotten out of there as soon as she was hurt… but I didn't… and now she's gone… Miyuki… please forgive me… I love you… and I'm going to follow you soon…wait for me Miyuki… please…" He heard the samurai get up and walk out the door, leaving him alone with Miyuki's body. Heihachi held Miyuki's hand as he drew his katana. He placed it in front of him next to Miyuki, took her katana from her obi, placed it over her heart and pulled back his jacket from her face. _

"_Miyuki… she's so beautiful when her face is like this… so peaceful… but I couldn't do anything… oh, Miyuki I'm so sorry… so sorry…" he thought to himself as he continued to weep silently. Heihachi lightly put his forehead on her hand and he suddenly felt very weary. He looked up through blurred eyes at Miyuki's serene face and thought,_

"_Was this what it was like Miyuki? Did you feel tired, knowing you were going to die? I'm sorry for making the mistake of not rescuing you sooner. But I won't… make… that mistake… again…" Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He dropped his head onto her hand and fell asleep._

""""""""

_When Heihachi woke up again, the sun was setting. At first, he didn't know where he was, but when he heard bells ringing softly, signaling a ceremony, everything came rushing painfully back. He looked at Miyuki, hoping by some miracle, that she would be there, alive and smiling at him. But he saw her still form and knew that she was gone. The Elder and Kirara came in the door and bowed before him. Nodding, he got up and stepped aside, letting them put Miyuki on a moveable platform. Some villagers covered her body with a white sheet, only exposing her face, and motioned to other villagers to pick up the platform. They went out the door, Heihachi following, and started walking to the cliff overlooking Kanna village (where the four samurai's graves are in the series). When they got there, Heihachi saw that the whole village was there, and everyone was wearing their best clothing. He looked at the ground when he passed Kambei and the others. They had drawn their swords (and spear in Shichiroji's case) and stuck them in the earth as a symbol of respect. The villagers stopped and gently put Miyuki down, parallel to the cliff edge. Kirara stepped forward, as did Akiko, and they lay all of Miyuki's weapons in front of her. Then Komachi handed them bells and ran to Miyuki with a rice bowl filled with rice. She put it down and backed away as Heihachi joined Kirara, Akiko, and the entire village in singing. _

_Heihachi sung first: _

"_Everyone agrees it came too soon. _

_It was only meant to be an intersection… you kept fear of death in the back corner of your mind, in the palm of your hand, affection._

_Came like a sudden gust of wind, leaving us bewildered, to ask how…"_

_Kirara sung second:_

"_I recall last time we met, you said we'd meet again. The irony is only bitter now…_

_These days, everyone cries, Miyuki. To touch your spirit for fear that it will die. _

_For this, your friends and lover gather with us 'round the fire, to form a healing circle for our new demise._

_The village sang third:_

"_These days, everyone cries, Miyuki. I retrieve the memories quickly as I can…_

_Add them to the image we all sketch in our minds…"_

Your body gone, we shall keep the girl…" 

_Heihachi continued to sing:_

"_I close my eyes and hope they do not fade… these remnants of a voice,_

_And of a smile…_

_Images of landscape, cloaked in forest green, like your life unfolding mile by mile…_

_A soft embrace, a word of thanks… a cheerful whistle and hours talking with you… Somehow, these pieces must bring back the girl you were, while the earth claims your body in its soil…"_

_Akiko sang: _

"_These days, everyone cries, Miyuki. To touch your spirit for fear that it will die. For this, your friends and lover gather with us 'round the fire, to form a healing circle for our new demise._

_These days, everyone cries, Miyuki. I retrieve the memories quickly as I can…"_

_The samurai:_

"_Add them to the image we all sketch in our minds…"_

"_Your body gone…_

_We shall keep…_

_The girl…" Heihachi finished the song, letting his tears stream down his face. He closed his eyes and wept. His grief made every villager's heart ache for him, for they had never seen anyone this heartbroken before. Kirara and Akiko's hands shook as they made the bells ring eighteen times, one for each year of Miyuki's life. They tried not to look at Heihachi; just being near him made them sad. _

"_This pain feels too real… I never thought… never realized… how deeply I'd fallen in love with her… now she's gone… I… I want to die… there's no reason for me to live anymore…" Heihachi thought, looking at Miyuki's silhouette against the bright orange sunset. The villagers and samurai all closed their eyes and wept silently. Opening his tear-filled eyes, Heihachi noticed something odd._

"_It's twilight…" he thought, "At twilight, light is orange and red. So why is there a white glow around Miyuki?" _

""""""""""

_A/N: If people do not like the lyrics I have used here, I have a backup idea using "My Immortal" by Evanescence if people would prefer that used. I don't own "My Immortal" or anything affiliated with Evanescence._


	14. The Kami's Gift

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko, and Kohaku._

**_Dedicated to Shirley, whom I see as the brilliant wildflower in our friendship circle_**_  
_

_Miyuki woke up lying on her back and staring up at a beautiful blue sky. She sat up, wondering where she was._

"_Didn't I die in the engine room? Why am I still alive? Where's Heihachi?" she wondered aloud. She looked around and saw flooded rice paddies everywhere. The place she had awoken turned out to be a huge field of white wildflowers. They smelled sweet and refreshing, like the way her mother used to smell. Miyuki saw movement out of the corner of her eye and reached for her sword, only to find that it wasn't there. Instinctively, she slid her feet to the side and put up her open hands into a martial arts defensive position._

"_Who's there? Show yourself!" she shouted with a voice of authority. Two people rose from the tall grass and walked toward her. Miyuki could tell they were a man and a woman from the kimonos they wore. The woman's was light blue with pastel pink sakura flowers along the hem. The man wore a brownish-black kimono that had golden cranes embroidered on it. The woman had brown hair like Miyuki and the man had auburn hair. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized them._

"_M-Mom? Dad?" Miyuki said, her arms dropping to her sides as she stepped out of defense form. They looked up at her and smiled. _

"_MOM! DAD!" She ran to them and hugged them both. _

"_Oh, honey. We've missed you so much," her mom said. Miyuki's father nodded and said, _

"_We've been watching you from here."_

"_Where is 'here'?" Miyuki asked, confused. Her father looked at his wife and asked,_

"_Michiko… should we tell her?"_

"_If you think so Kohaku," Michiko said, shrugging. Kohaku looked around and started talking to Miyuki rapidly._

"_Miyuki, you're in the Land of the Ancestors. I can't tell you more than that, because you are not yet dead."_

"_But I did die!" she protested, "I died trying to save our village from the Nobuseri!"_

_Kohaku and Michiko shook their heads._

"_We're sending you back. You haven't finished your life yet," Michiko said, "Long ago, the kami granted the first female samurai of our family the gift of life until we each finished our duty in life. You have not completed yours yet."_

"_Therefore, we have the right to send you back into life. Now you must go. Hurry!" Kohaku said, gently pushing Miyuki away from him._

"_But…" Miyuki began._

"_But nothing. You have to go. Now. Always remember that we love you and we will watch over you from here. You've grown to be such a beautiful young woman," Michiko said, touching Miyuki's face. Kohaku nodded._

"_And the young man you chose to love is a good choice too," he said, smiling._

"_Yes. I'm sure you and Heihachi were made for each other. Just like your father and I."_

_Michiko looked at Kohaku and smiled. Miyuki started crying as she hugged them tightly._

"_Thank you. I love you. Mom… Dad… Bye…" Miyuki ran to where she woke up and found that a white mist had formed. Without looking back once, she stepped through it and returned back to life._


	15. The Return

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko, and Kohaku._

_**Chapter dedicated to Tiffany, through whom I was first introduced to Thank you, you Maple nut.**_

_When Heihachi opened his eyes, he thought for a second his grief had made him go mad. He saw a white shape form above Miyuki's body. He stood up from where he had fallen to his knees after he'd sung a lament for Miyuki, which startled Kirara and Akiko. They looked where his gaze was trained and he heard the whole village gasp as they saw what he saw. _

"_Miyuki…" he breathed the name. The white shape looked at him and smiled. It bent over Miyuki and touched her forehead. Suddenly, the spirit disappeared in a bright flash of light, and there was a pearly light that seemed to come off of Miyuki. The blanket covering her had disappeared and she was now wearing a long white kimono that shaded to pale pastel blue at the edge of the sleeves and hem. She also wore a pale blue obi embroidered with golden cranes. Heihachi saw her move and his heart almost stopped. He ran to her and lifted her in his arms. _

"_Miyuki…?"_

"""""""""

_Miyuki heard someone say her name. She was struggling through darkness as she slowly regained feeling in each of her limbs. _

_"Someone's arms… and body… they're so warm… whose…?" She thought opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was Heihachi's face. He was crying and laughing at the same time. _

"_You're alive! Miyuki, you're alive!" he cried, laughing._

"_Yeah… I guess I am huh?" she said, squinting in the bright twilight. Miyuki smiled at him and he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun around to show the surprised villagers and samurai. Suddenly, she pulled away from the kiss and smiled at everyone. _

"_It's great to be back…" she said as she wept and smiled at the same time. Kirara, Akiko and all of the villagers surrounded her and Heihachi, asking questions._

"_I'll answer all your questions soon enough. But right now I think we'd better get back to the village," she said, waving her hands for quiet. Heihachi looked where her wound had been, but saw that it had miraculously healed. Kirara and Akiko were hugging Miyuki like they would never let go. Finally, after much struggle, they were all back in the village and Miyuki was in the Elder's house. As she told her story, the villagers' eyes were shining like little children's when they were being told a fairy tale. When Miyuki finally finished, the villagers stood up and cheered for her return. She smiled at them from where she sat next to Heihachi, and put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Together, they watched the villagers leave._

"_I'm tired. I guess returning from death saps your energy…" Miyuki said, sighing._

"_Then you should get some rest Lady Miyuki. We'll see you tomorrow morning," Kambei said, bowing. Miyuki returned the bow, saying,_

"_All right Kambei-sama." All the samurai walked out except for Kyuzo and Katsushiro. Komachi ran up to Kikuchiyo and walked out with him. Kyuzo was waiting for Akiko, and when she looked up, he smiled at her and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. Katsushiro did the same with Kirara. As Kyuzo and Akiko walked out to go to Kyuzo's house, Kirara looked back at her grandmother for permission to go with Katsuhiro. She nodded and Kirara happily ran out the door with him. Elder and Grandmother looked at Miyuki and Heihachi with smiles on their faces. _

"_So it seems you finally got what you wanted," Grandmother said. Miyuki and Heihachi opened their eyes and nodded. Miyuki caught Grandmother looking at her and she smiled. Miyuki returned the smile before she stood up. _

"_I think we'll be taking our leave now. Goodnight, Elder, Grandmother," she said, bowing. Heihachi bowed and walked out the door with Miyuki. There was a full moon out and it bathed Kanna in silver light. Miyuki thought it was a perfect night to stay up and watch the moon. She started walking toward her house, but Heihachi pulled her back. She looked back at him with a question in her eyes. He smiled and held her hand._

"_Let's go this way. I want to ask you something. Something… very, very important," he said, turning away. For a split-second, Miyuki thought she had seen the faintest shade of pink in his face. _

"_I must have imagined it," she thought, shaking her head._

"_Ok. Lead the way, then," she said aloud. Hand in hand, Heihachi began to lead Miyuki up to the forest._

_""""""""""_

_A/N: I have been rapidly typing my new chapters all day because I am due to return to school in two days. I want to finish this story and hopefully start my next one before I start school. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story and poems this summer. I will try to post things as much as I can during the school year so keep an eye out for new things._

_NLBS  
_


	16. Question

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko and Kohaku._

_**Chapter dedicated to Dominique. I finally found mine, but at the cost of losing you.**  
_

_Heihachi was leading Miyuki by the hand through the forest and she was wondering what Heihachi wanted to ask her, but she kept silent. He led her up the mountainside and at last, they saw a clear spot ahead. Before they knew it, they were there. Miyuki looked around and saw she was on the same cliff when she met Heihachi. Just standing there made all those memories flood back. She stood, admiring the scene, when Heihachi pulled on her hand. Miyuki looked at him, confused, and she was about to say something when her throat was suddenly paralyzed. His face, bathed in moonlight, looked beyond loving. He still had streaks down his cheeks where he had been crying for her, but now he looked relieved and ecstatic. _

"_Miyuki… I wanted to ask you this before the war… but I wasn't sure if I would come back to be with you… But now the war is over, and I just have to ask you this…" he said, taking both her hands in his._

"_What is it Heihachi? You know you can ask me anything," Miyuki said, confused at his embarrassed, hesitant manner. Heihachi dropped to his knees, took off his pilot cap and put it over his heart. Miyuki's eyes widened at this display and now she wasn't so sure she was ready for his question._

"_Miyuki… I love you," he said, "I will love you forever, even after we die. Nothing with ever change that. And ever since I admitted to myself that I loved you, I've wanted you, mind, body, and soul."_

"_Heihachi… What…?" Miyuki tried to speak but he held up a hand for her to stop._

"_When you died, I thought that was the end of the world. I didn't want to live anymore, because… because I…"_

"_Because you what?" she asked, thoroughly confused. Heihachi seemed to be at war with himself, but finally he took a deep breath and asked,_

"_Miyuki, will you marry me?" _


	17. Answer

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko, and Kohaku._

_**Chapter dedicated to all my readers. I KNOW THIS STORY ISN'T THE BEST, SO THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS FAR! **_

_Miyuki was stunned. A light breeze ruffled his hair and she thought he looked so handsome._

"_Oh my go-… wh-… but… Oh forget it. Yes!" she shouted, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled and stood up. He embraced her and they kissed passionately. After a long while, they broke apart, and this time, Miyuki spoke:_

"_Heihachi… we should go back home now…" Miyuki said, yawning._

"_Ok. But can we go to my house this time?" he asked. She looked confused._

"_Sure. Why are you asking?" Heihachi looked at Miyuki in a loving way, before picking her up and walking to his house. _

_A/N: Please spare me the questions of what happened. Nothing happens ok? Sorry for those so hopeful of something else. I don't write like that._


	18. Together Forever

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko, and Kohaku._

_ I do not claim to have great knowledge in wedding ceremonies. Sorry if I get a lot of things wrong, but I'm just drawing from my imagination._

_**Chapter dedicated to Timmy. Thanks for being so nice and taking it so well when I told you.**_

_A few weeks passed and Miyuki and Heihachi were going to be married. Akiko and Kirara had told her that Kyuzo and Katsushiro had also proposed to them, so all three girls decided to get married at the same time. Kirara gave up being a water priestess and passed the dowsing crystal to Komachi. Miyuki woke up on the morning of the wedding with her head on Heihachi's chest. Yawning, she looked up at him and saw he was smiling in his sleep. Giggling slightly, she smiled and kissed him. He woke up without opening his eyes. Heihachi moaned and said,_

"_Mmm… five more minutes…"_

"_Come on my love. Time to wake up," Miyuki prodded him in the side. Heihachi opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. He smiled, pulled her close to him, rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. But Miyuki started to tickle him and he was forced to wake up. He started to tickle her back and she couldn't stop laughing. Finally he stopped and she opened her eyes to find him on top of her with his forehead pressed to hers. _

"_I love you," he whispered._

"_I love you too Heihachi," she whispered back. Miyuki kissed him once before she sat up, making him get off. _

"_Today, we get married, huh, Miyuki?" he said poking her in the side like she had done to him._

"_Mmm…" was all she said. Heihachi leaned against the wall of his house and pulled Miyuki onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and she sighed. She turned her head and buried her nose into Heihachi's turtleneck that he slept in, breathing in his scent. _

"_Heihachi… do you remember when we first met?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled._

"_Yes… it seems like fate that we met that day…" Heihachi whispered into her ear. Miyuki closed her eyes and smiled. Heihachi tightened his grip around her and she sighed. It crossed both their minds that they would like to stay like that forever, but Miyuki slowly got up, disentangling herself from Heihachi's arms, got dressed, and left to get ready for the wedding. _

"""""""

_That afternoon Miyuki, Akiko, and Kirara waited inside the Mikumari house for their time to walk up to the shrine/makeshift altar in the middle of the village. They all wore shimmering white kimonos with light pink flowers embroidered on them. All three had their hair pinned up in elaborate hairstyles and were chattering excitedly._

"_Ooh… Katsushiro was **SO** embarrassed when he asked me to marry him. He asked me right outside his house after you told us your story, Miyuki," Kirara said._

"I know. When Kyuzo asked me, he didn't seem embarrassed, but he did look tense about something. He asked me to follow him into the forest and when we got to this huge tree, he suddenly dropped to one knee and asked me! It seemed like he'd been trying to come up with the right words for weeks, but I'm so glad he asked me," Akiko said, absent-mindedly tugging on a loose strand of hair.

"_Heihachi asked me at the place where we first met," Miyuki said._

"_Really? Where was that?" Kirara and Akiko asked excitedly._

"_Up on the cliff on the mountainside. Where I always go to chop wood remember?"_

"_Yeah I remember," Akiko said. "We used to play there as little kids all the time. Right Kirara?" Kirara nodded and then turned her head as she heard a gong. All three girls knew that that meant to walk to the altar. They bowed their heads as they walked out into the sunshine and towards Elder and Grandmother. Miyuki glanced to the sides a little whenever she could and saw that the whole village had shown up. She blushed a little as she looked up and saw Heihachi there, smiling at her. He, Kyuzo, and Katsushiro wore formal black kimonos that the Elder had given them. Miyuki thought they all looked very handsome, but she only had eyes for Heihachi. He had taken off his pilot cap but left his hair the way it always was. She stood next to Heihachi and faced the Elder. Grandmother stepped forward with a sacred branch and shook it over the three couples. _

"_May the great kami of Heaven bless these six with long lives, and may they always be together," she said. Everyone looked at the Elder and he nodded. That was the signal for them that they were now married. Miyuki turned to Heihachi beside her and he put his arms around her. Suddenly she felt very shy and she blushed as he kissed her. They could hear the villagers cheering for them and the others, but for Miyuki and Heihachi, there was only each other. _


	19. A New Beginning

_**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Miyuki, Akiko, Michiko, and Kohaku.  
_

**_Chapter dedicated to all my readers, inspirations, family, friends, and everyone who encouraged me to keep writing. Thank you._**

_"""""""""_

_"Perhaps perfection seems too bold_

_A word here to apply._

_For once love penetrates the heart,_

_It spreads to cloud the eye._

_Still we in blindness take a chance_

_And gladly join in Cupid's dance._

_For every joyful heart has shown,_

_Perfection dwells in love alone." David Kirk_

_"""""""""_

_Seven years later: _

_"__Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! We wanna go to auntie Kirara's house and play with Kiya and Kenichi!" Two young voices woke Miyuki up._

_"__Mmm… Not now… go back to sleep…" she said, rolling over. _

_"__They're awake already?" came Heihachi's whisper next to her. Miyuki nodded. Suddenly, two little kids, a boy and a girl, pounced on Miyuki and Heihachi as they tried to go back to sleep. _

_"Now you're going to get it Ayame!" Miyuki cried, picking up the little brown-haired girl and tickling her._

_"Daddy! Make mom stop!" Ayame said, giggling._

_"Nope. I've got your brother and I want to teach him a lesson. Isn't that right, Yasuo?" Heihachi said, tickling a little auburn-haired boy. Miyuki and Heihachi still lived in Kanna and now had 2 kids. They children were almost always seemed happy, just like Heihachi, but they had Miyuki's fighting spirit as well. Yasuo looked just like Heihachi, only younger, and Ayame could have been Miyuki's twin sister if she had been a few years older. _

_"Ok you two. Go get dressed and we'll go in a few minutes," Heihachi said as he and Miyuki released the two squirming five-year-olds. They ran off and Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief. Heihachi wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close._

_"I'm so happy right now," she said. _

_"I know," he replied, kissing her cheek._

_"They're going to be back in a few minutes. We should get ready," Miyuki said, slipping out of Heihachi's grasp and pulling on her outer kimono. She still wore her usual clothes, but Heihachi was also starting to wear the clothes that a Kanna villager wore. That is what he had on, minus the hat. Kyuzo, Akiko, Katsushiro, and Kirara were Miyuki and Heihachi's neighbors, and today, they were going to go to Kirara's house to let Ayame and Yasuo play with the other kids._

_"You know, though you may be a samurai, you can always give it up," came Heihachi's voice from behind Miyuki. She smiled and turned around._

_"Is that a suggestion?" she asked._

_"No," he replied, coming closer, "It's what I'm going to do for you and our children."_

_He kissed Miyuki as Ayame and Yasuo came back._

_"Hey! Mommy and Daddy are kissing!" Ayame cried, giggling with Yasuo behind their hands. Miyuki and Heihachi broke apart and smiled at them. _

_"Come on. Iki masho," Miyuki said, picking Yasuo up and walking out the door. Heihachi picked Ayame up and followed. Soon, they arrived at Kirara's new house. Since her old home was really no place to raise a family, it had been built for her and Katsushiro soon after they married. Miyuki tapped on the screen in the doorway and Kirara came out._

_"Oh, hello Miyuki, Heihachi. Come in. Kyuzo and Akiko are already here," she said. Miyuki and Heihachi could hear two little kids giggling in the house and knew that it must be Kiya and Kenichi. They walked inside and sat next to Akiko and Kyuzo._

_"Kenichi, stop hiding behind your mother and come say hello," Kyuzo said gently pulling a little five-year-old- blond boy out from behind Akiko. _

_"…Hi…" he whispered. Miyuki smiled as she put Yasuo down._

_"Like father, like son," Heihachi said to Kyuzo, "You always were the quiet one of our group." Kyuzo nodded and a slight smile appeared on his face._

_"But Akiko changed that. She changed… my whole life," he said, smiling at her and holding her hand. Kirara came back from another room with Katsushiro behind her. Katsushiro was leading a little brown-haired, blue-eyed girl by the hand as she was hiding behind him. She looked to be about five years old._

_"Kiya, it's ok," he said to the girl, "See? It's Kyuzo, Akiko, Heihachi and Miyuki. Ayame, Yasuo, and Kenichi are here. Do you want to play with them?" Kiya nodded, still hiding behind his legs. Miyuki and Akiko laughed silently. They remembered when that had happened to them. _

_"Mommy, Daddy can we GO now?" Yasuo asked. _

_"Alright. But stay near the house. Understand?" Heihachi said._

_"We will. Kenichi! Kiya! Come on, let's play!" Ayame said to them. Kyuzo and Akiko nodded to Kenichi and Kirara and Katsushiro gently nudged Kiya. All four kids ran out the back door to play in the grass behind the house. The parents all sighed and for a moment, everything was silent. It was Akiko who finally broke it._

_"Sometimes it seems like a miracle that those children were born," she said, leaning her head on Kyuzo's shoulder. Everyone agreed. After the war they had fought eight years before, the samurai never thought they would be able to settle down. Kambei and Gorobei had left to go who knows where, and Shichiroji had gone back to Yukino and the Firefly House. Only Kikuchiyo, Kyuzo, Katsushiro and Heihachi had remained, to live with the ones they loved more than anything else. Kirara sat down with Katsushiro and everyone sighed. Suddenly, Katsushiro and Kyuzo spoke up._

_"I just want to say that I'm no longer a samurai," they said. Akiko and Kirara looked at them, shocked. Miyuki laughed at the look on their faces. When everyone looked at her, she stopped laughing and Heihachi held her close. _

_"What? We're no longer samurai either. We gave up that life… in favor of our children. And each other," Heihachi said. Katsushiro and Kyuzo nodded and held Kirara and Akiko close._

_The same thoughts ran through the heads of all six adults as they heard their children's laughter from the back of the house._

_"It's time to start a new life."_

_Owari_

_"""""""_

_A/N: I hoped you liked my story. I know I enjoyed writing it for my readers. Yes, this is the end, but I have left it semi-opened because from this point on, anyone can imagine what happens. Thanks for reading, and watch for my new story that is going to come out soon._


End file.
